WHITTIER – Staff members from throughout the Whittier Union High School District met at Whittier High School on Wednesday – a few days before students return to classrooms – to get a kick-start into the coming academic year.

More than 500 teachers and administrators convened at the school’s Vic Lopez Auditorium for “Day One,” a pep rally, of sorts, meant to motivate staff into another school year and present them with an update on the district, organizers said.

Rachel Garza-Cottom, a Spanish teacher at California High School in Whittier, said the annual event provides a “little extra incentive” for tea chers who are preparing, in their own way, for the back-to-school drive.

“We all serve an important role in helping our kids succeed,” district Superintendent Sandy Thorstenson told her colleagues. “It’s a beautiful thing that we do. And we can, and we must, always improve.”

According to district officials, Whittier Union has made significant strides in improving students’ performance and boosting its rank among other California high schools.

Thorstenso n on Wednesday announced that all eight district schools recently achieved decile marks of 4-8 on the latest Academic Performance Index (API). The preliminary results show an improvement from last year, when some schools received a 2 decile – out of a possible 10 – after the annual API.

The complete 2006 API results are expected to be released today.

Still, Thorstenson reminded educators of their ongoing commitment to the high school district’s estimated 13,500 students.

“We have come a long way, but we have much further to go,” she said. “We need to be certain that we’re creating a culture that … does not let kids think that they want to leave \, to drop out or to give up.”

Thorstenson also shared some teaching theories, dubbed the new three R’s – Rigor, Relevance and Relationship – which state schools chief Jack O’Connell recently highlighted during a Los Angeles County education summit in Whittier.

If teachers set hi gh expectations for students, make curricula applicable to real-life lessons and establish a healthy support system for students, it is likely that students will excel in the classroom and beyond, Thorstenson said.

“It’s naming what we already do,” said Lourdes Zunzunegui-Mirabal, another Spanish teacher at Cal High.

“We need to instill in students critical thinking skills, and unless we give meaning to the lessons, they’re not going to learn,” she said. “We’re teachin g because we believe in the subject but we’re also teaching life skills.”

“Day One” organizers also gave a progress report on the district, noting that several new staff members will be added this year.

Whittier-area high school students can expect to see additional guidance counselors and intervention specialists this year, said Ron Carruth, assistant superintendent of education.

A new districtwide e-mail system to maintain consistent communication with parents will also be implemented, Carruth said.